Farmers flock to buy CCTV cameras to stop fuel theft

Dale Farley says he suspects people have been stealing diesel from his property for years. (ABC Riverland: Jackson Byrne)

South Australian farmers are rushing to purchase CCTV cameras to protect their diesel supplies amid increasing concern about fuel theft since the war in the Middle East broke out.

One security business says it has led to a 300 per cent increase in demand for CCTV cameras from primary producers.

Farmers say they understand cost-of-living pressures are impacting everyone, but hope cameras will make potential thieves think twice before stealing their fuel.

Farmers are installing CCTV cameras at unprecedented rates to protect diesel supplies, leading one security company to overhaul its entire business model.

Conflict in the Middle East broke out in March, which caused diesel prices to soar and drove increased demand from farmers, freight companies and critical infrastructure industries across the country.

Dale Farley, a farmer in the Murray Mallee of South Australia, said he had installed more than 20 CCTV cameras across his family's three properties in response to "opportunistic thieves".

Dale Farley can monitor who is coming and going at any time by checking an app on his phone. (ABC Riverland: Jackson Byrne)

"We've always had suspicions of theft in the past, like the dogs barking or the tank's empty the next morning," he said.

"Fuel, fertiliser, machinery, everything has just gone through the roof."

An additional five farmers confirmed to the ABC they had also installed CCTV cameras to protect their diesel assets, but they did not wish to speak on the record.

There are more than 20 CCTV cameras set up on three agricultural properties owned by Dale Farley's family. (ABC Riverland: Jackson Byrne)

South Australia Police said there had not been a notable increase in fuel thefts across the region, but they were concerned incidents may be going unreported.

Police also said they were encouraging rural landowners to implement CCTV and other security measures.

The increase in demand from farmers has been so pronounced that a Riverland-based security business has switched its primary focus from the commercial sector to agriculture.

Smart Automation Solutions director Cody Milne said call-outs for his business to install CCTV on agricultural properties had risen by 300 per cent since the war in the Middle East broke out.

Cody Milne says farmers are getting fed up with fuel theft and are turning to CCTV. (ABC Riverland: Amelia Walters)

"Agriculture was maybe 10 per cent of our business, but now that we've had this uptick in fuel